When you are faced with a really stubborn weed problem it's so tempting to reach for an herbicide and try to wipe it out. I too can succumb. Earlier this summer, frustrated by creeping Charlie that stretched its skinny stems through the grass and defeated all my hand-pulling, I broke down and decided to use a little Roundup.

"We bought our house almost two years ago. On the sunny, south facing side, I have various varieties of daylillies. Growing through them, is some kind of vine. It wraps around the plants, runs up my house, and this weekend, we found that it actually went under the foundation and is coming up inside my garage. I pull it almost weekly, and yet, it keeps coming back. Any ideas as to what it is or if it is? More importantly, how do we remove this plant to ensure that it does not grow back?" -- Chris, Buffalo Grove

I was horrified to spot a single plant of ghastly garlic mustard in my garden yesterday.

This invasive species is not just a weed of gardens but one of the great plagues of natural areas, where it thrives in shade and sets tiny white flowers that produce thousands of seeds per plant. I have pulled enough of it on volunteer outings in nature preserves to know how swiftly it can spread and wipe out everything else in the area.

Hardly any name (other than maybe "Detroit Pistons") irritates a Chicago gardener more than "creeping Charlie." This nasty weed seems to be everywhere except in full sun.

Right now is the prime time to hand-pull creeping Charlie. The plants have sprouted but they have not yet sent their long, slender stems too far from the root cluster. Once those stems have snaked all over into a dense mat it’s much harder to get the roots.

The plants are in bloom now, with little lavender flowers, which can make them easier to spot. Their nearly circular scalloped leaves, arranged opposite each other along the thin, creeping stems, are another good identifier.

Organic gardeners, how do you deal with creeping Charlie? "There is a creeping weed in our grass. Our neighbor calls it Creeping Charlie. It has a blue flower. We have 2 little dogs and we do not want to put weed killer down. Could you suggest a fertilizer/weed killer that may not hurt dogs...or have a suggestion on how we might get rid of this weed? Thanks so much." -- John and Ollie Bucher, Glenview

To start with, here is a link to a University of Illinois Extension Web page on creeping Charlie.

A little concentrated effort now can do a lot to reduce weeding chores over the summer. Get to the weeds before they have a chance to put down long roots or set seed. You won't eliminate them, but you certainly will have fewer later in the season.

Most perennials have grown big enough that you can distinguish them from the weeds. Root carefully between them with a pointed tool to clear out small weeds (but be careful not to damage the perennials' root systems).

For perennial weeds such as dandelions with deep taproots, use something long and sharp, such as a weeder with a forked tip like a snake's tongue. Stick it straight down next to the stem and then lever it up to pop the root out. You must get the taproot or the weed will resprout.

I was driving up Lake Shore Drive from the South Side last week on a sparkling spring day. The lake was a gorgeous turquoise, the grass in the park was emerald, the skyline was spectacular.

On a berm by an exit ramp -- somewhere north of 47th Street -- I was delighted by a huge bed of daffodils in a clever assortment of yellows. Then I rounded a curve and caught my breath at a huge sweep exactly the color of lemons stretching away against the green grass of the park. It was utterly charming.

Those were dandelions, of course, nearly carpeting a swathe of lawn by the lakefront bike path. A park district crew nearby was cutting grass, but they hadn’t made a dent in the dandelion field yet.

And I couldn’t help but wonder: What makes daffodils, a perennial yellow flower imported from Eurasia, something that we pay people to plant in beds to adorn Lake Shore Drive? And why are dandelions, another Eurasian perennial yellow flower -- just as bright, just as cheery, just as spectacular in the park, just as much a sign of spring -- considered a weed to be exterminated?